The Sweet Life: The Key to The Perfect Key Lime Pie

Raise your hand if you love key lime pie! I’d be able to afford a new pair of shoes once a week if I posed this question in any random space and collected $2 from each person. I don’t get it, honestly. I’ve never been a fan of the ubiquitous dessert. It’s texture doesn’t tickle me in the least. Ironically, it has a similar consistency to flan, which I need not tell I love.

The single thing I have enjoyed about key lime, when I’ve nibbled on it, is the graham cracker crust. The few times I’ve been enticed to make another attempt at liking it, I’ve scooped out the filling and simply eaten the cookie border.

GIVING KEY LIME PIE A CHANCE
But, I thought I’d give it a try for myself. Not because I was anxious to dig into it, rather because sometime last summer, a good friend ordered one from my kitchen and I took it as an opportunity to understand all the fuss over its alleged goodness. Everyone in my family likes it, most of my friends order it when we’re out, and I see it on just about every menu.

I took the order and made a few pies with no inhibition. Oddly enough, as I had to taste along the way, my palate got excited. Individually incorporating the ingredients gave me new appreciation for what I know now is the simplest dessert to make.

And, I had a euphoric moment. I realized why I’ve forever had this inexplicable disdain for the pie. It was the sour cream. We don’t really like each other. But, after my kitchen table was pie high, I was in love with a new sweet bite.

SWEET SUCCESS!
And it worked, amigas. I made the pie in no time, omitted the whipped cream because I’m also not a huge fan unless it’s homemade.

A spicy guava jam lacing the pie crust makes natural sense and marries the limes like the perfect sunny beach tryst. Its flavor will invite more afternoons of pie making. Trust me. I’m on three this spring already.